Shoes typically need more care than just replacing the laces, or polishing them occasionally. A person's feet sweat throughout the day; there are about 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. All those sweat glands produce about a half pint of perspiration every day. In such an enclosed environment, this moisture is absorbed by the shoe material, leading to the deterioration of the inside of the shoe, such as cracking and becoming misshapen. This causes the shoe to become unwearable, and will need to be disposed of. Nicer shoes, such as those made of leather, are even more at risk for such problems. Fortunately, there are ways to help slow down the corrosion of the shoe.
One way to absorb the moisture and maintain the shoes' form is to stuff the shoes with tissue paper, or similar stuffing, when the shoes are not in use. However, tissue paper stuffing or inserts can get flat and shred very quickly, losing their ultimate purpose of maintaining the shoes' form.
A shoe tree, or shoe stuffer, is a device that allows a shoe to hold its proper shape by being inserted inside the shoe to allow the shoe to maintain its form. If the shoe tree is made of proper materials, it will also slow the damage from perspiration by wicking away, or absorbing, the moisture from the shoe material.
Shoe trees are a pair of foot-shaped devices, usually constructed of plastic, metal, or wood that are placed in a shoe to maintain its shape when not being worn. However, some shoe trees are constructed from durable paper products, though are usually only designed for temporary use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,531 discloses an orthopedic shoe tree for the shoes of a person with a foot or toe deformity having a front stretching part and a rear heel part. The front stretching part has two separate front foot halves between which a stretching wedge fits whereby the halves may be forced apart by movement of the stretching wedge. The rear heel part and front stretching part are connected by loose articulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,071 discloses a shoe tree which has been blow-molded from an elastomer plastic and having a hollow bellows existing between a toe piece and a heel piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,669 discloses a shoe preserver having a wicking portion and an absorbing portion retained within a flexible porous covering. The preserver is sized to substantially fill the volume defined by the interior of the shoe. A pair of preservers is interconnected by a flexible strap attached to the forward portion of the preserver such that upon insertion of the shoe, the shoe and preserver may be carried by the strap.
When buying expensive shoes, a custom-fitted shoe tree is sometimes, but very seldom, included. It is uncommon when buying women's shoes to receive a shoe tree; instead, most shoe purchases come with the paper tissue stuffers. Thus, shoe trees are often purchased aftermarket.
For this purpose, many types of shoe trees are being sold commercially. They come in two basic types: one-size shoe trees, and adjustable shoe trees. Within these types, there are more specialized versions, also based on the type of material used. Shoe trees may be constructed of wood or plastic. Since wooden-type shoe trees are solid, they may not fit a shoe perfectly and may extend the shape of the shoe. Moreover, wooden shoe trees may have a spring mechanism that is breakable, and they are not machine-washable, if washable at all.
Plastic shoe trees have some advantages. They are easy to obtain, as they are sold in a multitude of stores. They are inexpensive, and can be replaced easily (since they are often easily breakable). As to their quality, however, plastic shoe trees do not offer an effective shoe forming quality. Overall, shoe trees made of a more solid, harder material will stretch out the shape of the shoes rather than preserving the existing original form.
In general, existing shoe trees are difficult to handle. Particularly, they are difficult to be inserted into or pulled out of the shoes. The cedar models might damage the delicate ladies' shoes due to their solid construction. The softer models may lack durability and could lose their shape-holding function. They also lack decorative features that could enhance the appearance of the shoes.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a convenient and fashionable shoe stuffing device that can provide decorative features to enhance the appearance of the shoes, and that can also be easily inserted inside the shoes to protect the shape of the shoes or pulled out of the shoes for cleaning and storage, the shoe stuffing device being preferably machine-washable.